


Fated

by Palmetto_Blue



Category: Star Wars, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: AU (sort of), F/M, Out of Character, Reincarnation, Reylo - Freeform, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-05-03
Packaged: 2019-03-16 01:51:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13626036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Palmetto_Blue/pseuds/Palmetto_Blue
Summary: Rey closed the door on Ben Solo. But their romance was written long before they were born - fleeing across the galaxy changed nothing. They were fated....





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Reylo fic, and I have quite a few people to thank. I hope you enjoy this first chapter, and if you do, please let me know in the comments below.  
> First, my alpha readers in our Reylo Fanfic Authors Support Group: SheLitaFire, All_the_Feels, and one more. Their Reylo fic is great - check it out!  
> Secondly, I've been writing HP fanfic for a while, and my beta reader the last year has been Ianthe. She's still a rock and checked out this story for me. Check out her MCU fic if you fancy that!  
> Any mistakes you find are mine and mine alone.

**_1 Standard Month Post-Crait_ **

**_Dantooine_ **

 

 

Unbelievable. Absolutely effing unbelievable. She thought they might have had something. But when he found out about the connection with Ben - Rey shook her head to clear that thought - not Ben, Kylo Ren, he’d fled and took everyone with him, leaving her alone on Dantooine. Even Finn had left. She thought he might stay, but in the end, his loyalty was to the Resistance, Rose, and Poe, not to the scavenger who had a Force Bond with a man who had almost killed him. Apparently, she was the type of person that deserved to be abandoned.  

 

That was really the only word for it - fled. He ran away. It’s not like she would have ever done anything to put him or the Resistance at risk, at least not on purpose. 

 

To be fair, since the General had passed away unexpectedly - she laughed bitterly at that understatement - since the General had been murdered in her sleep by the First Order, Poe was the only ranking officer left in the crippled Resistance. Her heart ached at the loss of the funny, incomparable, indomitable woman known to the galaxy as Princess Leia, even though she preferred the title of General. 

 

But she wasn’t in the mood to be fair. 

 

Poe had flirted with her, kissed her, made her think that perhaps there could be something else between them, something that would take her mind off the dark, brooding, Ben Solo. Those fleeting few moments had been a balm to her battered soul. He thought she was worthy and important, somebody, someone with a place in the story. But then the unthinkable had happened, and he’d found out her secret.  And when he’d left, he’d taken her first friend with him. She’d never forget the look of utter betrayal and confusion on Finn’s face when he’d realized that she had this unpredictable connection with Ben - Kylo! When would she learn? He was Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader and the Master of the Knights of Ren, whoever the hell they were. She only knew of them through a fleeting thought she’d experienced when Kylo was having a particularly emotional experience. She thought he’d been addressing an underling when he demanded that his Knights of Ren be brought to him immediately for a special mission. There was a sinking feeling in her stomach as she thought of what that special mission might be. She discounted the dreams because that’s all they were - dreams. After that incident, she’d tried to consciously block out the connection to the Supreme Leader, and she’d been largely successful. But she had a feeling that it would never, ever disappear entirely. 

 

So here she was - alone, again. At least she had water and food. The fleeing Resistance didn’t leave a forwarding address, but they had left her a few broken down A-wings and two X-wings. Her gaze sharpened as she looked at the forlorn little fleet. For the first time since they’d all deserted her, a smile cracked her face. She had a project now. She could fix almost anything, and if she succeeded, she had her own spaceship.

 

She could go anywhere. 

 

But not Jakku. There was nothing for her there. 

 

**_Thousands of light years away_ **

**_Aboard the Absolution_ **

 

“The three of you will find her, and you will bring her to me - unharmed.” Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader, leaned back in his throne, a ridiculous contraption really. He vowed to be rid of it as soon as practicable. 

 

“Unharmed, sir?” His First Knight asked. 

 

“You are not to so much as singe the hair on her head. She will answer to me for her crimes, no one else.” 

 

“But if she is as strong as she seems…” the knight’s voice trailed off at Kylo’s glare. The Knights had been with him since the incident at the Jedi training temple, and they were the only ones allowed to question his orders. But just because he had no intention of harming them, it did not mean that he was going to change his instructions.

 

“That is not my problem. She is to be brought to me unscathed.” He did not bother to drop his hand to his lightsaber; they all knew he was quite serious. He turned to the other three knights. “You will determine who is responsible for the death of Leia Organa-Solo. Anyone associated with this unauthorized action is to be granted no quarter, but their leader is to be taken alive. He will answer to me.” He looked at each of them, impressing upon them the importance of their task before he spoke to the group as a whole. He knew in his heart that the First Order had been responsible for his mother’s death, and he wanted to ensure that all those who were involved paid for it. “You have your orders. Go now.” 

 

Only when they’d left did he stand up and walk to the viewing window. They were in orbit above Jakku. Even from orbit, the planet was a desolate wasteland. He’d heard legends that it had once been a verdant paradise. Arms crossed behind him, legs shoulder-width apart he stared at the desert planet. The doors to his throne room opened with a hiss, and he braced himself for the confrontation with his insufferable second in command, Armitage Hux. 

 

“What do you want, Hux?” 

 

“Supreme Leader.” The edge of insolence in the tone was just slight enough to ignore, but Kylo’s hand twitched with his unspoken desire to end this odius weasel. Pity that he was useful. “We have word that the pitiful Resistance is on Kessel. We have sent out ships to scout with orders to destroy the rebels where they are.” 

 

“Tell me. What makes you think they are on Kessel?” 

 

“We have an excellent spy network. I’m confident that we will crush them,” Hux hesitated, “this time.” 

 

Kylo didn’t react to the implied criticism. Hux was right; his actions had allowed the Resistance to escape on Crait. But Kylo knew the Resistance wasn’t on Kessel. “Tell me, are they hiding with the ruling family in the South or in the mines of the North?”

 

“I won’t have my network questioned, Ren!”

 

Kylo turned to face him. “I will question what I wish to question, Hux,” his voice deceptively mild. “But General, the civilian population of Kessel is not to be harmed in your futile search for this tiny group of rebels.” 

 

“But -” 

 

Kylo’s hand lifted and he squeezed his fingers together - “I said, General, that civilians are not to be harmed. I trust that I am clear.”

 

“As you wish.” Hux gasped as he clawed at the invisible fingers at his throat while his knees folded and he sank in an undignified heap on the floor. 

 

“Excellent.” Kylo released him with a flick of his fingers. “Now get out of my sight.” As Hux staggered to his feet and stalked away, the new Supreme Leader contemplated the stiff set of his general’s shoulders. How he hated the obsequious toad; that man would take the first chance he got to attempt to wrest control of the First Order from him. As the doors closed behind Hux, Kylo turned to stare at Jakku again. He had more important concerns than the First Order. 

 

Rey must be found. 

 

He’d only had a few flashes of her since she’d closed the door on the Falcon. But he hadn’t tried to connect, either. He’d tried to shut her off entirely, but it didn’t work. He still caught fleeting glimpses of her, especially when she was upset. Unless the dreams counted. He’d been asleep when it happened, when his mother had died, and he’d reached out for Rey in his sleep. She’d been there, furious. She’d screamed at him, demanding to know how he could have ordered his mother’s death. Except he hadn’t - that was another loose end to tie off. His knights would not fail him. 

 

So many regrets. 

 

He suspected that someone in the First Order was responsible for his mother’s death, but he couldn’t storm though the ranks, ripping answers from minds. He’d have to leave it to the Knights.  He’d wanted to do it, though. He’d wanted to strap each and every officer remaining alive to an interrogation chair and burrow into their minds until he found the ones responsible. But something stopped him. And it wasn’t just that if he did it, it would precipitate a civil war that the First Order could not afford at this time. The Resistance stunt that had ripped the Supremacy in half had taken out most of the fleet, including the Finalizer. They were left with only four of forty Resurgent-class star destroyers. The Absolution, thanks to its position at the far end of the formation and furthest away from the impact, had only sustained superficial damage that they were able to repair mid-flight. 

 

He decided to reach out to Rey. Perhaps he’d be able to ascertain something about her surroundings if she answered him. Time and space seemed to warp around him. 

 

“I’m busy, Kylo.” Rey didn’t turn around. He could see that she had a wrench in her hand and that she was bent over what he had to assume was some sort of transport. 

 

“Why didn’t you do it?” he asked. 

 

“Do what?” she responded as she continued to turn the wrench in her hand. 

 

“Kill me when you had the chance.”

 

The wrench stilled. She tossed it aside, and it made a clang as if it had landed in a toolbox. She dragged a towel off her shoulder and wiped her hands on it. “I should have.” 

 

“Yes, you should have. It would have been kinder.” He changed the subject abruptly. “Where is the lightsaber?” 

 

“It’s broken.” 

 

“You broke the lightsaber?” 

 

“No. We did. But I want to repair it.” 

 

“Let me see it.” 

 

“Why should I have killed you?” 

 

He sent her a sharp glance and answered her question with his own. “Where are you?”

 

“I’m not going to tell you that.” 

 

“Where are your friends?” 

 

“Gone. I’m alone.” 

 

Kylo’s hands clenched into fists. The traitors, murderers, and thieves had left her by herself. “You are not alone.” 

 

“Yes, I am.” 

 

**_Dantooine_ **

 

Rey threw the towel into the tool bin. She should have known Ben wasn’t going to leave her in peace. He seemed like he cared at the end of their conversation. She shrugged. That was his problem; she wasn’t going to be involved with Supreme Leader Kylo Ren any further. 

 

She turned her attention back to the small ship. This A-wing was indeed repairable, but she had to hope that the spare parts from the other grounded space ships would provide all the needed parts for her to make it space worthy again. 

 

Back to scavenging, her first job, and perhaps what she was best at, since it turned out she wasn’t as successful at saving a man’s soul as she’d wanted to be. 

 

“Ben, why did you have to go that way?” she asked aloud. Her response was only the whistling of the wind through the tall trees. She grimaced. Apparently, she still wanted to save that particular man’s soul. 

 

Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten since breakfast this morning. The Resistance had left her enough food packages to last her for months as long as she was frugal with them. No matter what, she wouldn’t starve. 

 

**_Yavin_ **

 

“Poe.” 

 

Finn’s voice interrupted Poe’s reverie. He turned to face the man who’d saved  **him** from the Finalizer. “Yeah.” 

 

“We need to go back and get Rey.” 

 

Poe stared blankly at Finn. “We can’t. She’s got a direct line to Kylo Ren; she can lead him right to us.” 

 

“She won’t. She’d never do that to us.” 

 

“Not on purpose, no. But she might not mean to. If he can see her, he can probably see her surroundings; we can’t take that chance, buddy.” 

 

“We should have at least left a droid with her,” Finn protested.

 

“Which one? 3PO was destroyed when Leia was -” he swallowed and blinked rapidly “- killed. Artoo is on board the Falcon with Chewie, and we need BB8. And most of our droids were on board the Raddus. It’s not like we have a lot of choices.” 

 

“Then take me back.”

 

“What?” Poe asked, incredulous. 

 

“She’s my friend. Take me back to her. I’ll ask Rose to come with us.” 

 

“I can’t do that.” Poe answered through clenched teeth. 

 

“Why not?” 

 

“Look around you, Finn!” His arm waved, encompassing the small base. “We’re down to twenty people! I can’t spare you or Rose.” 

 

Finn narrowed his eyes. “And whose fault is that?” He performed a perfect about-face and stalked from the room, disgusted with the decision. 

 

**_The Absolution_ **

 

Kylo stared at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to come. He’d spent the rest of his day dealing with bureaucracy. The Supreme Leader job was not one he had wanted for himself. He remembered as a child always wanting to fly with his father, and he cherished the times that Han had been on-planet and willing to take him onboard the Falcon. His earliest attempts at piloting had been aboard that hunk of junk. 

 

His father. The memory of that worn face, wrinkled with age and worry, haunted him. His father had tried to save him. But how could he? The stain of that sin would haunt him until he died. 

 

And Luke - when he’d ignited that lightsaber on Crait, Kylo had been convinced that Rey had given it to him. She had betrayed him totally. But he’d been wrong. Luke wasn’t even there. Luke had killed himself in an attempt to let his mother and the rest of the Resistance escape, but Kylo could still feel his Force signature. No, Luke wasn’t done with him yet. 

 

But Snoke was well and truly gone. Kylo felt no regret for slicing him in half. Where he’d once always felt Snoke whispering in his brain, there was nothing. It had taken some time for him to realize that he wasn’t feeling so conflicted. If he was being honest with himself, if he hadn’t been in such a state of shock after killing Snoke and destroying the Praetorian Guards, he would have spoken differently to Rey, and he might have even left with her. His only regret from that day was losing her. 

 

As sleep claimed him, two things solidified for him: he had killed all of his father figures, and despite those stains on his soul, he had to get her back. She was his beacon in the dark. 

 

He dreamed. 

 

**_Dantooine_ **

 

Rey moved carefully in her hammock. It swayed more than the one she was used to on Jakku. It was hard to believe that her life had changed so much since she’d left that planet mere weeks ago. In that time, she realized, that she had officially passed into her twentieth year, she had unburied repressed memories of being sold by her parents, she had met a legend who had eventually proven himself worthy of the name, she had met her very first real friend, and she had tangled with Kylo Ren and survived. 

 

If she was being honest, she _had_ survived, but she hadn’t survived heart-whole. She was still reeling from his betrayal. Not only had he chosen to stay with the First Order, but he had his mother killed. 

 

How could she even possibly talk to him? As she fell asleep, she vowed to forget him, to ignore his pull, his ability to make her feel as though the darkness within her wasn’t evil.

 

She dreamed. 

 

They were in a darkened room with curved obsidian walls, facing one another from across the space. Kylo spoke first.

 

“I didn’t do it, you know.” He voice was soft, much as it was when he told her to let the past die the first time. 

 

“Didn’t do what?” 

 

“I didn’t have my mother killed. I would never do that.” 

 

“I don’t believe you,” she spat out. 

 

His eyes and tone were still gentle; “I’ve never lied to you.” 

 

She scoffed. 

 

“Think back. When have I ever lied to you?” He walked closer to her, much as she had to him in the elevator on the Supremacy. 

 

She blinked, trying to keep from staring at his lips. “You said…” Her voice trailed off as she turned her head to look at something, anything, aside from his face. “Never. You’ve never lied to me.” 

 

He reached up and gently tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear as his eyes devoured her face. His lips quirked up slightly at the ends as he saw the tremor she tried to control at his touch. “And I never will.” 

 

Abruptly, he dropped his hand. “So, your friends left you. Why? Aren’t you some sort of hero to them? You should be.” 

 

“They found out about my connection to you.” 

 

“How careless of you to tell them.” 

 

“I didn’t!” 

 

“Oh, then how did they know?” 

 

She sighed. “I was talking to Chewie -” 

 

“Chewbacca? That great hairball knows?” 

 

She sighed. “Yes. Who do you think piloted the Falcon to send me to you, only for you to betray me?” 

 

“I didn’t -” He sighed. “Let’s come back to that. Why does Chewie know? And where is Chewie? He’d never leave you alone.” 

 

Rey sighed. Chewie would have stayed with her, but he was already off-planet. He’d been away from home and taken a quick trip to visit his family before the news broke. She hadn’t had the heart to send him a message that would cut short his time with his mate and child. But she couldn’t tell Kylo that. For all she knew, he’d send First Order goons to kill him, and she wouldn’t, couldn’t have Chewie’s death on her hands. “I had to explain to him before he’d agree to help me go to you on the Supremacy. And then afterward, I had to talk to someone. And he’s not here right now.” She hoped Kylo wouldn’t push for more details. 

 

“So Chewie betrayed you?” 

 

Rey compressed her lips. “Of course not! BB8 -”

 

“Ah, the droid you care so much about - “

 

“I’d get through this faster if you’d stop interrupting.” She crossed her arms over her chest, hip cocked out, the very picture of impatience. 

 

“Of course. Pardon me. Go on - the droid you turned down months worth of food for betrayed you.” 

 

“It wasn’t like that! Poe is his master. He’s programmed to -” Rey sighed. “When Poe found out, he confronted me, demanded answers.” Her hand brushed across her lips, as if in memory. “And I told them the truth. So they left me.” 

 

He stalked across the room to where she had retreated to brace herself on the curved wall and slammed his hand to it beside her head. 

 

“You think there was something between the two of you?”

 

Rey glared up at him and turned to move away from his presence. His other hand slammed to the wall on the other side, leaving her trapped unless she went through him, which she was willing to do, if it came to that. “That’s none of your business.” 

 

“Oh, Rey, but it is my business. You still don’t understand - we are it for each other. There is no one else.” 

 

She turned her head, rapidly blinking back tears.

 

“No one will be able to forgive this connection. Don’t you see? As it grows, and it will grow,” his voice deepened and his gaze sharpened, “we will soon be able sense each other and what we are doing. Do you really want to be in my head when I kiss someone else?” Rey shook her head, trying to clear the image of him with his hands buried in another woman’s hair, holding her head immobile as he devoured her lips, much as she had imagined their first kiss would be. “Do you think that I will sit still for you kissing Poe Dameron?” 

 

“Stop it!” 

 

“No, you know. And now, Rey, let me assure you, I’ll know if he dares to touch you again. And he can’t be the third party, either.” His eyes raked over her face. “He would not have left you if he could have borne it.” He leaned closer and with just a hairbreadth between their lips he whispered, “but he left you alone, unprotected, and that I cannot stand.” 

 

“No!” Rey threw her arms out, knocking his down. “You’ll leave my friends alone!” 

 

Gasping for air, she sat up in the hammock as it swayed almost uncontrollably. “It was just a dream. It was only a dream.” By the Force, she hoped it was only a dream. 

 

Kylo’s eyes snapped open at that same moment. He had reached another conclusion that night - it wasn’t only a dream. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first Reylo fic, and I have quite a few people to thank. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and if you do, please let me know in the comments below or drop a Kudos!   
> First, my alpha readers in our Reylo Fanfic Authors Support Group: SheLitaFire, All_the_Feels, and SSC. Their Reylo fic is great - check it out!  
> Secondly, I've been writing HP fanfic for a while, and my beta reader the last year has been Ianthe. She's still a rock and checked out this story for me. Check out her MCU fic if you fancy that!  
> Any mistakes you find are mine and mine alone.

**Dantooine**

 

Morning dawned clear and bright. The dust motes floated across a ray of sunlight that beamed its unremitting glare on Rey’s face, waking her from a fitful slumber. 

 

That dream had felt so - real. It was almost as tangible as the Force connections she felt with Ben before -

 

No. She wasn’t going to allow herself to dwell on what she thought when she’d decided to try to turn Kylo back to the light, back to the man she had naively thought remained under the mask of Kylo Ren. And she certainly wasn’t going to think about how badly she’d wanted his lips to brush hers last night in that oh-so-real dream. 

 

She had work to do. The A-wing wasn’t going to repair itself. 

 

What she wouldn’t give for a functioning astromech unit right now. Of course, there might be an older model back in the - 

 

“Rey….”

 

**_The Absolution_ **

 

Kylo Ren slept fitfully after his encounter with Rey, but eventually his exhaustion took over, and he fell deeply into slumber. It was in this unguarded state that something - happened. 

 

“Ben.” 

 

In the dream was someone he assumed was a Force ghost. But they normally only appeared when one was awake. Ben knew he was asleep, so this man shouldn’t be a ghost. He was something else entirely. He was translucent, a handsome man, objectively speaking, dressed in the robes of a Jedi Knight, but he was young. And he was completely unfamiliar to Ben. 

 

“Who are you? What are you?” 

 

“You don’t know?”

 

“I wouldn’t have asked if I knew, now would I?” Inwardly, he cursed himself. Even he recognized the sarcastic tones for which his father was so famous. Would he never be free of this pain? But he knew the answer to that question - no, he’d never be able to find peace after what he’d done to his father, the man who’d only wanted to bring him home. 

 

“Well, you prayed to a relic of mine for years. I thought you’d recognize me when I appeared before you.” 

 

“Darth Vader -” Kylo whispered reverently. 

 

Anakin snorted. “Hardly.”

 

“But -” 

 

“No,  _ you  _ listen to me, Ben Solo. All of those years, every time you tried to contact me, you weren’t talking to me.” He paused to ascertain if his grandson was actually listening to him. “Good. You’re smarter than I thought.” He went on. “Snoke had a tighter grip on you than even you realize. He was able to block me, but when you killed him, his hold over you broke.” He shook his head. “And since then, you haven’t let go of your conscious self long enough for me to speak to you. But something has changed.” 

 

Kylo blinked. “My mother has died.” 

 

“Yes, I know. But you didn’t do that. You have much guilt on your soul, but that is not yours to bear. You will find justice for her.” He peered more closely at Kylo. “No, that’s not it.”

 

“Rey.”

 

“Ah, you do see. Find her.” 

 

“I can’t see her surroundings,” Kylo objected. 

 

“Go back to the beginning, Ben.” 

 

**_Dantooine_ **

 

“Master Luke! What are you doing here?” The shimmering figure was otherworldly, but Rey had heard of Force ghosts before - legends, she’d always assumed. 

 

“I failed you, Rey.” 

 

Rey wanted to reassure him, but she found that she couldn’t. She really had needed more council from this aging Jedi than what she’d gotten. 

 

“You were too reckless, though.” 

 

Her lips twisted. How right he was. But she wouldn’t take back the time she spent aboard the Supremacy. She’d learned a valuable lesson about trust that day. Sometimes she regretted being a person who learned by doing. “You didn’t want to help. I was desperate.” 

 

“Right, she is.” 

 

Rey shook her head. Was that a small green alien beside Luke?

 

“This is Grand Master Yoda, Rey,” Luke introduced the new visitor. “For what it’s worth, you were right about Ben. There  _ is _ still good in him.” 

 

“No, there’s not! He chose power, to take over the First Order. How can there be good in him? He killed Han! He killed  _ his mother _ .” 

 

“He did kill Han. But he didn’t kill his mother. You  _ know _ that, Rey. You’ve already admitted as much.” Luke answered. “Have you read the books you stole from Ahch-To yet?” 

 

“What?” Rey felt her stomach fall, a niggle of guilt gnawing at her conscience. 

 

“No need for shame there is, young Rey.” Yoda mused. “Young Skywalker wanted to burn the whole tree to the ground. Saved the sacred texts, you did.” 

 

“No - I can’t translate them. I need help.” 

 

“Ask Ben, he can help,” Luke answered.

 

“Ben? I don’t know where he is and I don’t want to know.” 

 

“You’ll see him soon, I’m sure.” Luke smiled fleetingly. 

 

“What? He’s coming here?” 

 

“You’ll find that there’s an old R2 unit at the back of the storage unit that’s in fairly good shape. You’ll just need to clean him up and he’ll be able to help you out. You might even get off this planet soon.” The ghosts began to fade. 

 

“Wait! What do you mean I’ll see him soon?” 

 

But they were gone. And she wasn’t even sure if she hadn’t imagined them. 

 

An hour later, she had found a purple R2 unit that looked to be almost functional. Three hours on a charging station and a chemical bath later, he was able to tell her his name was R2C9. 

 

“Well, C9, would you like to get to work? See if we can’t get off this planet?” As she and the droid worked quietly side by side, she couldn’t help but wonder: if the ghosts were real, then were the dreams real too?  

 

**_The Absolution_ **

 

“Back to the beginning.” 

 

What the hell did that mean? Kylo ruminated on what his grandfather could have possibly meant as he stared out onto the barren wasteland that was Jakku. The beginning of what? Luke had rarely spoken of the fallen Jedi Knight who was his father, only saying that Darth Vader had saved his life and recognized the good within himself before he died. Years before, he had searched for information on his grandfather in the Empire archives, but much like Snoke had done with Ben Solo, no one spoke the name or even wrote the name Anakin Skywalker after he became Darth Vader. He only knew that Anakin was Darth Vader because Luke had told him one awful night when word reached them that Leia had been exposed as the daughter of the Dark Lord. 

 

Luke was from Tatooine, though. Perhaps Anakin had been as well. He knew Padme Amidala, his grandmother, had been from Naboo and that her funeral was held there. Han was from Corellia, Leia from the destroyed Alderaan. He himself had been born on Chandrila. 

 

Rey. 

 

The thought came unbidden as did the connection. 

 

“Hello, Rey.” 

 

**_Dantooine_ **

 

“Why is this happening?” She groaned, dropping her head in exasperation. Now was not a good time for an emotionally taxing conversation with her arch nemesis. “I just want to repair this ship and get off this planet.” 

 

“I don’t know, honestly.” He considered her. She was wearing some variation on the same clothes she’d worn in their earlier Force bonds, her hands coated with grease or oil. So she  _ was _ working on a starship, and he heard the whistles and beeps from an older astromech droid.

 

“No, I’m fine, C9. Nothing to concern yourself with.” She put aside her tool and walked over to what must have been the droid. “You could use another charge. Why don’t you go plug in?” 

 

“Finding equipment to scavenge?” 

 

“You just have to be awful, don’t you?” Rey sniffed, “As it happens, Luke told me where to find C9.” 

 

“Luke?” Kylo sighed. “Of course he found a way to come back.” 

 

“He apologized to me.” 

 

“Ha. Naturally. Did he try to murder you while you slept as well?” 

 

“No. But he wasn’t a very good teacher.” She paused. “He said you weren’t lying. That you didn’t have your mother killed.” 

 

Kylo took a step forward. “You knew that already.” 

 

She pressed her lips together. 

 

“It’s okay. You can admit it. You knew that already. You knew I didn’t kill my mother.” 

 

She turned her head, staring off into the distance. 

 

“Say it, just say it. You knew that already.” 

 

“Fine. I knew that already. Are you happy?” 

 

“No, I’m not.” His eyes raked her face and his gloved fists clenched at his sides. “I would have been happy if you had stayed with me. But you chose your _ friends _ over me. A bunch of murders and traitors who left you alone - again!” 

 

“I couldn’t desert them! And you were going down a road I couldn’t!” Rey fought back the tears that threatened. 

 

“I’d never desert you like they did!” 

 

“It wasn’t like that!” She blinked furiously. This man knew her weak spots better than she knew them herself.

 

“I’ll never leave you alone, Rey. I won’t abandon you or us.” As his form started to waver, she thought she heard him say, “I’ll be with you soon.” 

 

**_The Absolution_ **

 

Kylo narrowed his eyes, staring at Jakku. He’d been right. She was on a temperate planet or a warm one. He cursed his inability to see her surroundings. Even a few trees would give him a solid clue as to where she was. 

 

Jakku was the beginning, at least for them. It was there that his power in the Force had truly awakened, that her power awakened. But there was nothing there now. Rey wasn’t there; he knew that. Where was she? She seemed to be working on a ship, and it was a small one given the way he’d seen her working on it. So, it could be a small fighter like an A-wing or an X-wing. Of course, it could be neither of those, but if she had been with the Resistance, then it would make sense for them to retreat to an older rebellion base. There were only so many of those. 

 

Endor.

 

Crait.

  
Yavin.

 

Dantooine.

 

Hoth.

 

Hoth was out - clearly, she wasn’t wearing cold weather gear. And, there was no way was she able to find something worth repairing on Crait. He’d just been there. Not even those crystal creatures were interesting enough to induce someone to stay there. That left the more hospitable planets. A beep from a communicator interrupted his ruminations. It came through on a private channel, one from his Knights. He stalked to his throne, threw himself into it in an inelegant sprawl, and activated the comm device. 

 

“Go ahead.” 

 

“We’ve reached Birren, Supreme Leader, and we’ve begun our investigation. As you know, the officials have kept Princess Leia’s remains in stasis. She left no instructions, and no one from the Resistance has attempted to claim them. Should we do so?” 

 

“Yes. Take her to Naboo. She can be memorialized there, just as her mother was.” 

 

“Birren officials have indicated that they would like to have her buried here as she was the actual next-in-line for the governorship.” 

 

“That is of no consequence. She should be with her family. Also, issue a statement from the First Order that she will be memorialized on Naboo in three standard days. Those who wish to honor the memory of the Princess of Alderaan and Senator Organa-Solo are welcome to join in the procession. Safe passage will be granted to those who require it on my orders. ” 

 

“It will be done.” 

 

“And tell all the Knights to meet me on Naboo in eighteen standard hours.” Kylo cut the connection. It was highly doubtful that his mother’s companions would risk attending the memorial service, but he would be there. She would be treated with dignity in death; he would see to it. Now, it was only a matter of time before Hux, the buffoon, would come storming in, demanding to know what he was about. 

 

**_Yavin_ **

 

Poe, Finn, Rose, and the remaining few members of the Resistance watched the holonet broadcast detailing the memorial service for the General. 

 

_ “Safe passage will be granted to her compatriots by order of Supreme Leader Kylo Ren.” _ The small audience sat in stunned silence as the brief holonet finished. It was of no concern; this video was programmed to play on the hour for the next two standard days. There would be plenty of chances to see it again. 

 

“He’s trying to draw us out.” Finn was the first to speak. 

 

“We could ask Rey; she could tell us if he means it.” Rose answered.

 

“We can’t risk it,” Poe put in. “There’s no upside to risking the rest of the Resistance to attend a memorial service for the General. She’d be furious if we did. And we can’t risk contacting Rey, either. She’s in contact with Kylo Ren and might lead him straight to us.” 

 

“She wouldn’t do that,” Finn insisted. 

 

Poe sighed. “Maybe not. But it’s not a risk I’m willing to take.”

 

“You don’t know her like I do.” 

 

“I agree. But Finn, look around you. I can’t take any more chances with the Resistance. As it is, I’m not sure we’ll ever recover from this blow.” 

 

**_The Absolution_ **

 

“Ren! I demand to know what you think you - “ Hux’s diatribe ended abruptly as he clawed at the invisible hand at his throat. 

 

“You know, we’d get along much better if you weren’t so belligerent, Hux. Let’s try this again. Now, what were you saying?” 

 

A muffled choke from the tortured general was his only response. It was only when Hux was on his knees, verging on unconsciousness that Kylo relented. 

 

Hux, on his hands and knees, sucked in vast quantities air trying to revive his starved lungs. 

 

“Well, General, what exactly were you saying? I thought you were questioning my methods, but I’m sure that can’t be right.” 

 

Hux’s normally perfectly coiffed hair had fallen in his eyes, and he glared at Kylo Ren between the oiled strands from his undignified sprawl on the floor. “Of course not, Supreme Leader. I merely was seeking clarification on a holonet I saw. It said that Resistance members would be granted safe passage on your orders. I’m sure there was some mistake.” 

 

“There was no mistake. Those were my orders.” 

 

Hux staggered to his feet, manfully refraining from massaging his sore throat. “But Supreme Leader, that makes no sense.”

 

“For a general, your sense of tactics is sorely lacking, Hux.” 

 

“You’re setting a trap, then?” 

 

Kylo inclined his head. “As you say. Now, get out of my sight.” 

  
  


**_Dantooine_ **

 

A red light was blinking steadily on her emergency communicator when Rey returned to her room for the evening. She felt a pit yawning open in her stomach - that blinking light was not a good sign. Finn would not have activated that communicator if everything was going to plan. Swallowing her fear, she opened the connection and the recorded image of Finn flickered to life. 

 

“Rey - we’ve arrived at our destination, and we’ve received a galaxy-wide communication from the First Order.” He cleared his throat, glancing off-camera, furtively. “The Order is holding a funeral for General Organa on Naboo, and we’ve all been granted safe passage there by order of the Supreme Leader, you know, Kylo Ren. We can’t trust them, so we’re staying well clear. I just hope they’ll treat her with respect. We’ll be watching. And we’ll pay them back if they disrespect her.” His attention wavered. “I’ve got to go. May the Force be with you, Rey. I miss you.” 

 

The image flickered and disappeared. Rey stared blankly at the wall, trying to process her feelings. She knew something that Finn and Poe didn’t - Kylo Ren was the son of Leia Organa. She could believe that he wanted to bid farewell to his mother. But he wasn’t above setting a trap. Damn. She couldn’t avoid going - she had to go. 

 

The next morning, she and C9 managed to finish rebuilding the hyperdrive on the A-wing. The final task was ensuring the cockpit was ready for space, and hyperspace. With good luck, something that seemed to be in fairly short supply recently, she would be on her way the next day. 

 

But she didn’t want to think about why it seemed so urgent to say her farewells to a woman who wouldn’t expect it. 

  
  



	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alpha Love: All_The_Feels, SheLitaFire, SSC, WildConcerto  
> Beta Love: Ianthe

**_On Naboo & the Absolution_ **

Kylo felt the hyperdrive disengage as the star destroyer settled into orbit above Naboo. From space, the planet looked to be a virtual paradise of water and landmasses covered in green. He had only visited this planet once before as a small child with his mother. She hadn’t explained that it was the home of her mother, his grandmother, but he recalled feeling strangely at ease. There was something peaceful there, especially when they toured a lake district and viewed the houses. They’d visited the memorials to former queens and the ruling families and he remembered lingering at the one dedicated to Padme Amidala, Queen and Senator. There had been no mention of her husband on her memorial plaque, he remembered, but he now vowed to add all the information one day, preferably very soon.

When he descended from his command shuttle at landing, General Hux at his side, he took a deep breath and took in the view, absorbing the atmosphere of the planet - the life that thrived here seemed even stronger now than it had years before. It was the Force, of course. He was feeling it more keenly than he ever had. This planet could be the base for the new capital of the Galactic government. And it was here that he’d see Rey once again. She’d come, and he’d feel it when she did.

“Supreme Leader -” Hux’s annoying tones interrupted his musings. “I will set up guards at intervals to keep watch for Resistance scum. The body, I presume, is here?”

“I’ll take care of the funeral arrangements, Hux.” His voice was distorted by the mask that he’d donned before emerging from the shuttle. He had plans for the rest of his life and showing his face might not be helpful in the long term. “The Knights are here; they will have brought the Princess. I’ll leave the security details to you; they are of no consequence to me.” Inwardly, he laughed at the ever-more pinched expression on Hux’s face as he deliberately left off Hux’s rank and relegated him to security duty.

“Of course.”

Kylo stretched his feelings outward; there was no ripple in the Force indicating that Rey had arrived. But she would be there; he knew it.

“Supreme Leader - “ The first Knight dipped his head deferentially, “we have secured the Princess and begun funeral preparations. We also have a preliminary report for you on the investigation into her death on Birren.”

“Excuse me -” Hux interrupted.

“What do you need, Hux?”

“You’re investigating her death? Why is that?”

“You don’t know, General?”

“Yes, why would you care who killed her? It was excellent news for us. I considered offering an award, in addition to the bounty on the scavenger girl who killed Supreme Leader Snoke.”

Kylo took a step forward, and Hux backpedaled, attempting to keep space between them. “Ah, I see the problem. You were unaware that whoever killed Princess Leia was committing high treason.”

“High treason?” Hux’s question ended on a higher, slightly breathless note.

“Yes, General. High treason. You see, Princess Leia, General Organa was my mother. And the only one who could authorize her death was the former Supreme Leader or -” he paused - “me. Since Snoke is dead, I am the only one who could authorize her death without consequences. And the one who did will find death a relief when it finally comes for him.” He viewed the man before him. “You seem pale. Are you feeling unwell, General?” The biometric readers in his mask told him that Hux’s heart rate was elevated, his breathing was unsteady,  and he could see without the aid of the mask the small beads of sweat gathering at his forehead. “Do you need medical assistance?”

Hux shook his head. “Of course not. The planet is just a bit - warm. If you’ll excuse me, I have security to arrange.”

“The funeral will be in 24 standard hours. And we will rendezvous here in 2 hours to return to the Absolution.”  Kylo waved his hand. “You are dismissed.” He watched as Hux marched off to set security arrangements for a state funeral. He turned to the commander and the pilot of the shuttle. “You will not leave this planet without me, no matter who might countermand that order. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Supreme Leader.” They parroted.

“Excellent.” Kylo turned to the Knights. Someone who knew his voice well would have been able to hear the change, the dip, the sadness in it. “Take me to her.”

The black clad entourage cleared a path without a word. The small crowds of curious Naboo and Gungans melted before them until they reached the top of the stairs of the palace where a young woman, dressed in dark burgundy robes with the traditional red dots on her face signifying scars, awaited them. Flanking her were representatives of the amphibious natives of this world.

“Supreme Leader.” The young queen inclined her head. “The Naboo and the Gungan would like to welcome you to our planet.”

“Your majesty.” He nodded deferentially. “Thank you for welcoming us to your home world. I trust the Knights of Ren have explained our request for the burial and memorial for Princess Leia.”

“Of course. If you will come with me, I will be honored to take you to her and to discuss your plans.” She swept her hand around, inviting him to walk with her. As they began to move into the depths of the massive building, the slight tremor in her voice betrayed her trepidation at his appearance. “We are grateful for the opportunity to honor the Princess; as you know, she was the daughter of one of our most illustrious queens and senators. Senator Organa seemed to be much like her.”

Beneath the mask, Ben blinked rapidly at the reminder of his mother. Rather than speak and give away his precarious emotional state, he clenched his jaw and strode onward. The biometrics in his mask recorded the spike in the Queen’s heart rate at his forbidding silence.  

If only she knew the reason behind it.

They turned left down a marble-lined corridor that led to a balcony with stairs on either side. In the garden below, spaced well apart, were crypts that melded with the peaceful surroundings. After passing through a small gate with a plaque on top labelled “Amidala” they halted before the tomb of Padme Amidala, his grandmother. “We had thought to have her remains interred here.” The Queen gestured to a plot on the far right, near the hedgerow that the surrounded the plot.

“No.”

“Pardon?”

“I would have her buried here, beside her mother.” Ben gestured to the wide space to the side of Padme’s tomb.

“But she was not a -” Whatever the Queen had thought to say, she changed course when Ben turned his expressionless mask towards her. “Of course. As you wish, Supreme Leader.”

“Thank you. I will provide you with the inscription for her memorial; it should be ready for the service. Now, if you’ll take me to her.”

“As you wish.”

The walk to the Princess was conducted in painful silence. When they arrived, Ben waved the Queen away and requested privacy.  He removed the mask; he wouldn’t look at his mother’s visage through that screen. He stared at the worn face of his mother; even in death lines radiated from eyes like a map to the sorrows and joys of her life. How he wished things were different - that he hadn’t been the cause of some of those lines.  Then it happened; the Force was connecting him to the scavenger once again. He looked up and saw her making adjustments to her A-wing, wind moving the trees behind her.

“I really don’t want to do this now, Rey.”

“Sod off. I don’t either.” With a disgusted growl, Rey tossed the pliers aside. When she turned to face him, she froze. The tortured look on his face told her all she needed to know. “Oh Force. You’re with her. I’m sorry, Ben. I’m so sorry.”

His lower lips trembled. “Will you be here?”

Her gaze swept down to the silent, motionless general. “Yes.”

He followed her line of sight. “She seems so peaceful, doesn’t she?”

Rey stretched out her hand to stroke his face, his back, but dropped it quickly as she realized what she had done. She had to fight these feelings she had for him. “You mother loved you. Despite it all, she loved you.”

The connection dropped as quickly as it had started.

It was only hours later, when Ben had returned to the command shuttle and was returning to the destroyer, that he realized that Rey had seen his surroundings. But more importantly, he had seen hers as well. Cursing Hux’s silent presence at his side, he resolved to wait until he was back in his quarters on the Absolution before continuing the search. Now, however, it was time to do a bit of research on his stormtrooper program and mayhap rattle Hux’s composure.

“General, how are the new stormtrooper trainees faring?”

Immediately suspicious, Hux restrained himself from snapping at this man he loathed so much. “As you know, we lost 92% of our trained troopers. However, the Absolution, as the training ship, sustained no casualties at the battle over Crait. We are currently determining who will best follow in Phasma’s footsteps as the leader of the training program.”

“What was Phasma’s lie about Cardinal?”

“Lie? Why would you say that Phasma would lie about Cardinal? He died in a training accident two years ago.”

“A training accident?” Ben asked. “A highly trained stormtrooper, in charge of the children, none of them older than fourteen, died in a _training_ accident? His most dangerous assignment was overseeing the sparring rounds with blunted weapons. And he died in a training accident.”

Hux’s brow furrowed. “What are you saying? That Phasma had something to do with Cardinal’s death? Why didn't you say something sooner?”

“Frankly, I didn’t care. Much as I didn’t care that you had your pet murder your father. But now, it is my concern as this army needs stormtroopers, well-trained ones. So, I’ll ask again - what is the status of the stormtrooper program?”

“It is as I said.”

“In other words, you have no one truly qualified to finished training the troopers.”

“There are several candidates,” Hux insisted.

The Absolution grew larger as they neared its orbit. Ben let his silence stretch until they touched down in the landing bay. “Keep me apprised of the situation.”

 

**_Dantooine_ **

“Yes!” Rey pumped her fist in the air. As near as she could tell, this starfighter was space-worthy. Of course, the only way to really know was either a pressure chamber or the acid test, putting it in space. And since a pressure chamber was not available, then space it would have to be. But she had a good feeling about this.

Only an hour later, she had stowed rations, her extra clothes, and various supplies including some pilfered ancient books in the small underbelly cargo hold with room to spare. C9 was ensconced in the astromech space. Rey suspected this base had been used more recently than the Resistance knew; early model A-wings weren’t capable of carrying astromechs. This one was. But that was a puzzle for another time. She could only be grateful that she had the droid for help.

She was on her way.

Her good feelings faded when she arrived over Naboo. A Resurgent-class Star Destroyer was in stationary orbit above the capital city. She shook her head to clear her nerves. She had come this far; she would pay her respects to the General, avoid First Order entanglements, and be on her way.

 

**_Naboo_ **

The viewing was smaller than Rey had anticipated with hundreds rather than thousands in attendance. But he was there, mask firmly in place. Because of the relatively sparse crowd, she dared not approach the viewing - Kylo Ren, flanked by a red-haired general and six black-clad figures who she could only assume were his mysterious Knights, who would have certainly seen her and taken her into custody. Instead, she had kept to the exterior of the ceremonial arena, trying to blend in with the native crowd that ebbed and flowed past the entrance. Hell and damnation. She had wanted to be on her way before Kylo had a chance to spot her. It was bad enough that when she walked by the ceremonial arena that his expressionless mask turned, seemingly following her progress outside the area. She could feel the intensity of his gaze, and could only hope that he’d think that he was mistaken. But she knew better - he knew she was here.

That evening, when the crowds had left and the arena was locked, Rey draped her long wrap around her head like a cowl; the grey color faded into the twilight and she made her way to pay her respects. Quickly and quietly opening the locked gate with just a touch of the Force, she crept into the open area where the General was lying in state.

Rey brushed her wrap free of her head and leaned down to whisper: “The spark of hope is not out.” She stood to take one last look at this strong woman, this mentor who had suffered more than anyone should. Death had smoothed some of the lines on her face except the deepest ones carved by her greatest sorrows. Except for a small braid across the crown of her head, her hair was down, a waterfall of silver and brown and she was clad in a thick blue gown with silver threads down the front. She looked at peace.

“It’s wrong to ask this of you.”

Rey whipped around, hand going to her hip where the lightsaber had once rested. “Leia?” she gasped as she took in the shimmering, almost transparent figure.

“In the flesh,” the ghostly figure spread her arms. “Well, not in the flesh. In the spirit. I can’t stay; I’m moving on. But please, Rey, please bring him back. I thought he was gone, but he’s not. There’s hope. Show him the way.”

“Ben?” Rey shook her head and took a step forward, towards the apparition. “Leia, you must go to him. He’ll listen to you.”

“Show him the way.” Leia faded and disappeared.

Rey stared at the empty space where the ghostly figure had stood.

“She came to you.”

Rey whipped around at the familiar voice. Ben stood behind her, just paces away. She backed away slowly. “She loved you, Ben.”

He worked his jaw. “She never should have sent me away! I needed her! And she sent me to Luke who wanted me _dead_!”

“She was trying to make a better galaxy for you, for everyone. And she thought Luke could teach you better than she could. Forgive her, Ben.”

He looked away. “I should take you into custody, Rey of Jakku.”

“You won’t do that.”

His head whipped around. “Are you sure about that?” he asked as he prowled closer to her.

Rey stopped backing away and held her ground. “Yes, I’m sure,” she answered, chin in the air.

He stopped just inches from her. “Where are you staying?”

“I’m not going to tell you that.”

“In your tiny ship, then. An A-wing, is it? Are you planning to go back to Yav - no, it’s Dantooine, isn’t it?” He hazarded an educated guess on her base of operations.

Her eyes widened. “How - how did you -”

“Know? Well, as you might have noticed, our bond is getting stronger.” He clasped his hands behind his back. He only hoped she wouldn’t realize it was to prevent him from reaching out and hauling her close to him.

“I have to go.”

He did reach out to stop her then. She glanced down where his gloved hand caught her elbow in a firm grip. “We belong together, Rey. Let me help you; let me show you the ways of the Force.”

“I can do it on my own.” She twisted her arm, vainly trying to throw off his hand. Instead, he only pulled her closer and wrapped his other arm around her waist, hand spread across her lower back, stroking her slim back.

“I know you will, but it will be faster if you let me help.”

She stilled in his embrace and tried to calm her breathing and her heartbeat as she stared into the bottomless depths of his eyes. But the fireworks he was setting off in her were hard to ignore. She had to get out of his grasp before she made a fool of herself, but she had to touch him. She reached up and cupped his cheek. “You have her eyes.”

And then he was gone.

 

**_Rey’s A-wing_ **

**_Hangar Bay 16 (Public Parking)_ **

Rey settled into the seat of the A-wing and reclined as far as she could go. Unfortunately, she was still sitting mostly upright. It was going to be a long night, but she couldn’t afford to be picky about her accommodations. She had rations, but no credits to obtain a bed in a hotel or pilot’s lodge. She shifted from her right side to her left in a vain attempt to relax and get comfortable. Exasperated, she flopped straight on her back with a huff.

What was that uncomfortable lump in her back? She didn’t remember feeling anything on the long flight to Naboo. When she turned around, there was nothing on the seat back. Odd. She resettled herself. And there it was again, a bump of some sort right in the small of her back. She reached behind her and felt something tucked into her belt. When she pulled it out, it proved to be a pouch.

“What the hell is this?” she muttered as she opened it. Inside were credits, more than enough credits to see to her needs for a month. She remembered again how Kylo’s hand stroked up and down her back. He must have given her the money then. “Why would you give me credits, Ben?”  

“To make sure you’re safe.”

Rey snapped her head around at the familiar voice. But there was no one there. No one had entered this hangar bay, as far out as it was, and there was no vision to accompany the voice.

How odd.

She tucked the pouch into a small storage compartment and re-settled herself. Exhaustion took over and she slid into a fitful sleep.

 

**_The Absolution_ **

**_Supreme Leader’s Quarters_ **

“Why would you give me credits, Ben?”

He heard her voice ringing in his head, but there was no visual of her.

“To make sure you’re safe,” he thought.

The bond was changing - again. He shrugged - the Force would do what the Force would do. He finished his evening ablutions and slid into bed. Surprisingly, he slept. But his dreams wouldn’t let him rest for long.

He was a young boy on a desert planet, piloting a pod racer. He left with two Jedi he knew to be Qui Gon-Jin and Obi-Wan Kenobi, except they called him Anakin. And when he met a young beautiful woman, he called her Padme, but she was Rey.  They picnicked in a beautiful meadow which he knew to be on Naboo. She wore her hair long and in curls, but her face - her face was Rey’s. He’d never seen Rey dress so formally - a yellow gown that looked so fragile with flowers on it. But when he saw her in a white gown with a veil on her head he came awake with a gasp.

By the Force, what was happening?

Rey appeared, sitting in the cockpit of a small fighter, gasping for air.

 

**_Rey’s A-wing_ **

**_Hangar Bay 16 (Public Parking)_ **

The dreams caught her by surprise. She dreamed she was a queen, meeting two Jedi for the first time. She was dressed much like the Queen she had seen today, and she remembered calling for a vote of no confidence on the Senate floor. She was so fond of boy, not much younger than herself, who accompanied the Jedi where they went. She called him Ani - short for Anakin, she knew, but he looked so much like Ben. And then, when she met him years later, he was Ben, but she still called him Anakin. She remembered eating with him on a grassy field, the green enveloping them. But then she saw him, standing straight and tall in front of her, their hands clasped together. She was wearing white. When he quietly said, “I will,” Rey jolted awake.

That didn’t feel like a dream.

In front of her was Ben, but this was Ben as he was today, not the Ben/Anakin of her dreams. He was sitting up in bed, a loose black shirt covering the chest that she had ached to touch when she’d seen him in her vision on Ahch-To.

They stared at each other in silence, chests rising and falling in sync with one another.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my readers, and a huge, massive hug to all my reviewers! If you enjoyed this chapter, I'd love to hear from you!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta love: Ianthe, All_the_Feels, SheLitaFire, SSC, and Wild Concerto
> 
> Any mistakes are mine and mine alone.

_**General Hux's Quarters** _

_**The Absolution** _

_**Stationary Orbit above Naboo** _

Armitage Hux paced back and forth, a black shadow in front of his space view windows. He stopped abruptly and smoothed his coat before activating his comm.

"My quarters. Now."

He knew his underling would take no more than three minutes to arrive, and he made full use of it, taking deep breaths to calm himself and ensure that his inner turmoil did not show in his immaculate uniform. Satisfied with his appearance, he stood motionless, observing the stationary stars from his window.

The soft swish of the doors opening heralded Ofan's arrival. "Sir."

"Yes, Captain. I have a job for you."

_**Naboo** _

Kylo Ren and the Knights of Ren led the solemn processional from the arena to the burial site. They made an impressive sight, six knights walking in step behind the imposing figure of the Supreme Leader. They walked steadily, giving the ever-increasing crowd time to see the funeral cortege for the fallen princess. And for the natives of this planet, she would always be royalty. It didn't matter that she hadn't ever been their queen; she was the daughter of one of their most beloved monarchs, and she had been raised as a princess, a future ruler of Alderaan.

She was royalty indeed.

Rey stood, cowl raised to help disguise her identity, frozen in place as the procession approached. The General, and she was a General to Rey, was being transported behind a team of faithers in a carriage with dozens of Naboo dressed in ceremonial black cloaks with silver embroidery following behind on foot. She felt Kylo's conflicted emotions, like a storm in the Force as he drew abreast of her before the carriage, and his expressionless mask turned towards her as they continued their steady pace. She shrank back to try to avoid detection by the Knights of Ren behind him.

" _I thought you would leave_." His voice spoke directly into her mind.

" _I wanted to_ ," she answered.

" _Why didn't you, then_?"

" _I - couldn't_.  _But I have to_ ;  _I can't stay._ "

" _I'll find you_."

The words could have easily been threatening, but for Rey they weren't. " _Ben, you aren't alone_."

Neither Rey nor Kylo questioned the telepathic connection between the two of them. It already had the feeling of a familiar road, one that would never disappear, unlike the impermanent paths on the shifting sands of a desert planet. No. This felt - real, substantial, eternal.

Rey watched as the procession continued onward.  _Godspeed, Leia. Rest now._ She felt a glimmer, a whisper of the General's familiar spirit, and blinked rapidly, fighting to keep the tears contained. A single one dropped, leaving a streak down her cheek.  _Godspeed._

She knew that she couldn't attend the burial without exposing herself to the stormtroopers guarding the palace and grounds, so reluctantly Rey turned and went back to the public hangar where the A-wing and C9 awaited her.

It was time to go.

_**Resistance Headquarters** _

_**Yavin** _

Finn, Rose, and Poe gathered around the holonet player and watched the solemn procession as it filed by on the projection. Poe's face appeared drawn, cheeks hollowed and dark bags under his eyes.

"I can't believe she's not coming back," he murmured.

Rose leaned into Finn, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her even closer, trying to offer her comfort as he stroked his hand up and down her arm. He watched the processional closely, and when Kylo's head turned to the right briefly, Finn spotted a humanoid female, face partially obscured by her scarf. He couldn't be certain, but he would have bet his last credit, if he had any, that it was Rey under the gray-blue cloth. She had made it to the funeral.

But that didn't mean that she would be able to leave. He couldn't stop a spear of fear that Kylo Ren had seen her, identified her. She had to get out of there. Yet, nothing happened. No shouts, no chase - nothing. The dignified cortege passed without incident into the palace walls, no doubt to the cemetery on the grounds.

A Naboo holonet reporter stepped into the frame and began explaining the General's connection to Naboo. "Welcome to our continuing coverage of the funeral for Princess Leia of Alderaan. During her life she was…"

Finn tuned out the soothing monotone and thought back to the procession. The more he thought about what he had seen, the more convinced he was that Kylo Ren had indeed spotted Rey.

"Not even a mention of her being a General in the Resistance," Poe spat out, interrupting Finn's ruminations.

"What?"

"They didn't even mention the Resistance!" Poe's normally easy-going tone was strident. "They talked about her being a Princess and a Senator. They even mentioned she was the daughter of Darth Vader and Padme Amidala, that she was married to Han Solo and had one son who is training to be a Jedi, but they didn't even mention that she was a General, the leader of the Resistance. What a crock of shit!"

"Right." Finn nodded vigorously. "That's just - disrespectful."

"Exactly."

"Exactly. Can you believe that?"

Poe nodded, satisfied at Finn's level of indignation.

"I think I saw Rey there." Rose interjected.

Finn felt the blood drain from his face when Rose confirmed his suspicions to Poe. "What? That's not - uhh."

"Are you sure?" Poe's gaze pinned her. "She didn't even know about it. How could she be there?"

"I don't know, but I saw someone that looked like her - had the same color wrap around her head that she wears normally. She even had arm wraps and a staff."

Poe glanced over at Finn, suspicious. "Did you tell her?"

He squared his jaw and stood straighter. "Yes."

"Why would you do that?" Poe's voice pitched higher. "What if she's captured?"

"She had the right to know."

"She's a liability!"

"She had the right to know." Finn insisted. "And she won't betray us."

Poe threw up his arms. "If she's captured, she might not have a choice!" He paced the edges of the room.

"Look, man, they walked right by her and no one went after her." Finn answered. "I'm sure she's fine." His voice projected confidence that he didn't actually feel.

Poe sent him an angry look. "I hope you're right, but we can't take the chance. She may not know where we are, but she knows where we  _were_. And that could send them on a hunt for us. We've got to evacuate. Again." He shot Finn a nasty look before he addressed Rose. "Put me in contact with Snap. I need him here."

Rose slipped from under Finn's arm and headed for the door.

Finn shook his head. Poe could be angry at him all he wanted. Rey had deserved to know about Leia and if she was going to betray them, she could have done so at any time. She hadn't. And he had to believe that she wouldn't, even if she was captured.

His friend was far stronger than Poe realized.

_**Naboo** _

Rey felt the connection with Ben stretching as she entered the atmosphere, but it was still there. She flew in the opposite direction of the Star Destroyer that was in stationary orbit and called up the navigational charts to decide where to go. Tatooine was close, and the home of Luke, but there was nothing there for her that she could think of. She was in no hurry to return to a desert planet, regardless. Dantoine wasn't a good choice anymore since Ben knew where it was, but perhaps the time had come to find Chewie, although she really didn't want to cut his time with his family short.

C9 gave a short hoot in the back seat.

"What's wrong?"

A short string of binary followed.

"Your batteries are failing? How much longer do you have?"

A single beep.

"That quickly? Damn and blast. Can we repair them or do they need to be replaced?"

C9's response took a bit too long for Rey's comfort, and returning to Naboo wasn't an option.

"Tatooine it is," she sighed. If she never saw another desert planet it would have been fine with her. But at least she knew what to expect - sand and dry heat - and she knew how to survive.

Back on the surface of Naboo, beneath the mask of Kylo Ren, Ben knew she had lifted off, and he knew the exact moment she entered hyperspace.

He'd find her again.

_**Near Tatooine** _

A shrill alarm startled Rey out of her half-slumber. Shaking her head to clear the fog, she immediately began flipping switches, trying to silence the warning siren. The hyperdrive was malfunctioning.

"Perfect. First C9, now the ship," she muttered. "I really didn't want to use those credits." She tried to tamp down a trickle of panic and quickly checked the navigational charts to find the nearest spaceport given the orbit of the planet. Mos Eisley seemed to be the best option.

" _Are you safe? Tell me. I will come to you."_

" _Not now, Ben. I'm busy."_ She flipped three more switches transferring power to the hyperdrive from other systems, trying to avoid interfering with the life support systems.

" _What's wrong?"_

Rey sighed. He wasn't going to leave her alone. " _The hyperdrive is malfunctioning, and I'm trying to make sure I make it to Mos Eisley. Now go away - you're distracting me."_ She felt Ben retreat, but his presence remained, a shadow in her mind.

The ear-piercing alarm silenced abruptly, and she breathed a sigh of relief. The A-wing was going to hold together. On the heels of relief, she felt a stab of panic. She'd told Ben exactly where she was going, and right now she didn't any other choice but to go there.

_**Above Naboo** _

_**The Absolution** _

_**Supreme Leader's Quarters** _

"Mos Eisley…Tatooine." He sighed. Of course she was going to Tatooine. Luke generally avoided discussing his home planet, but Ben was well aware of the importance of it. Why would she go there? There was nothing there for her. The Skywalkers were long gone, even the Lars were gone and had been for a generation. Then he remembered the strange apparition he'd had. Anakin had told him to go back to the beginning.

Tatooine was unquestionably the beginning for the Skywalkers.

He flipped on his comm device to communicate directly with the bridge.

"Captain Peavy, set a course for Tatooine. We leave now."

"Of course, sir." The soldier's perfectly moderated tones didn't even hold so much as a question at the strange order.

_**General Hux's Quarters** _

"Captain, after you finish your assigned task, I need you to do one more thing."

The soldier awaited his orders, expressionless and motionless. Apparently, receiving an order to carry out mass murder did not bother him in the slightest.

"Find the scavenger girl from Jakku. I don't care what you have to do to get her; do it! And bring her to me alive."

"Alive, sir?"

"Alive," Hux confirmed.

"Does her condition concern you?"

"Just get her here so she can answer some questions. After I have my answers, I don't care what you do to her." He nodded. "If you have no further questions, you're dismissed."

Moments after the doors closed behind the Captain, the Absolution made the jump to hyperspace.

"What the bloody hell?" Hux muttered. He flipped the switch to comm the bridge. "Captain Peavy, where are we going? I gave no order to leave orbit."

"Sir, the Supreme Leader gave the order to proceed immediately to Tatooine."

Suppressing a growl, he ended the connection. Tatooine? What was on that backwater planet? It held no military significance, and there was no conceivable reason to waste time and resources to go there. Kylo Ren needed to be taught a lesson. This was Hux's army. But Captain Ofan would be the perfect tool to deliver the message and the  _Supreme Leader_  should receive it soon.

He allowed himself a small smile as he smoothed his sleeves and lapels once again. Soon, very soon, he'd have everything he ever wanted. Now, to establish his airtight alibi.

He commed the hangar bay. "Ready my ship; I will be taking it to the Resolution shortly."

The Resolution was the sister ship to the Absolution, and the perfect base for his plans to assume command of the First Order.

Now to beard the lion in his den.

_**Supreme Leader's Office** _

Ben watched through narrowed eyes as Hux quick-stepped out the office door. On almost any other day, he would have stopped Hux from departing the Absolution, but he didn't really want or need Hux to be near him when he was so close to Rey. He and Hux had seen the same briefing; there  _was_  a revolt brewing on Ord Mantell. Someone needed to attend to the problem. He also knew that Hux hated him as much as he despised Hux. They were much better off far apart, preferably a galaxy apart. So, he agreed to the mission, halted the fleet, and Hux departed for the Resolution. They continued on the journey to Tatooine.

But something was wrong - off. He could feel it. Ben gave into the temptation to pace. Where was it? What was happening?

Rey's Force signature hummed quietly in the back of his mind; she was fine. He'd know if anything went wrong with her. No, this was something else.

The Knights were set to deploy again shortly, but since he knew where Rey was going he'd reassigned all of them to uncovering who killed his mother. The autopsy - he took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to calm himself as he thought of his mother in such clinical terms - revealed the presence of a sleeping potion. There was no way that she took that willingly.

She'd often had trouble sleeping when he was a child, especially when his father was away, which was - frequently. Once he'd asked her why she refused such measures and she'd explained that they always dulled her dreams which had given her ideas and helped her feel the people she missed the most. In his early days with Luke that had always given him comfort - that his mother was reaching out to him in her slumbering hours and felt him, loved him, missed him.

No. She didn't voluntarily ingest any sleeping potion. She'd been drugged to ensure she didn't put up a fight - and she would have fought to her last breath.

The cause of death had been obvious. No one survived two blaster shots to the chest and a shot to the head.

The assassin had been trained and devastatingly thorough.

But something else was happening. He warned his Knights to be careful, but there was nothing he could do. They were departing for their new mission in seven standard hours after they took their first meal of the day.

Nothing he did could allow him to rest. He tried every meditation technique he knew, even the ones that Luke taught him. He tried exercising: push-ups until his arms quivered and collapsed, sit-ups until he couldn't feel his abdominal muscles, running until his lungs burned. He tried sparring with a combat droid and finally collapsed in bed from sheer exhaustion, but sleep remained elusive. Nothing helped. The dread was overwhelming. There was something coming, and he was helpless to stop it. The next morning, after the seemingly endless overnight hours, the ship settled into orbit over Tatooine and the feeling had only intensified.

Then he felt it. He doubled over, the pain in his gut overwhelming.

His Knights were dead. All of them.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you see that coming? Yeah, me neither.  
> I'd love to hear from you if you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reading.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When we last left Rey and Ben, Rey was stranded on Tatooine with starship mechanical problems, and Ben had just realized that his Knight of Ren were dead, leaving him alone again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, thank you to my wonderful friends and beta readers: Ianthe, All_The_Feels, SheLitaFire, SSC, WildConcerto

**_Mos Eisley_ **

**_Tatooine_ **

Rey staggered to the narrow alley and retched. As she leaned against the dried clay wall for support, she was abruptly grateful for skipping her last meal. The gut-wrenching pain she’d felt wasn’t hers. It was Ben’s. Without a thought, she reached out to him. 

_“Ben."_

There was no answer, only a howling pain screaming down their telepathic bond

 _“Tell me what happened.”_ Still no response. But she felt the thread of his consciousness coming back to her. “ _Ben, you aren’t alone. Let me help you._ ” 

“ _You can’t fix this, Rey._ ”

She couldn’t see his surroundings, but she felt he was on the move, striding towards something truly horrifying.

Her feeling was correct.

 

**_The Absolution_ **

**_Stationary Orbit above Tatooine_ **

Aboard the Absolution, Ben had once again donned his mask. It would not do for anyone to see the tear streaks and his reddened eyes. He stalked down the corridor towards the Officer’s Mess. An alarm shrieked out interspersed with a warning.

“Poison gas detected on Level 2. This is not a drill. Don protective gear. Hazardous materials unit, please respond immediately. Poison gas detected on Level 2. This is not a drill. Don protective gear.” The calm, recorded tones belied the panic he felt. It wasn’t panic for himself - he knew his mask was designed to filter out toxins and smoke. No, this panic went much deeper.

When he arrived, the sight was worse than even he had imagined. All of the Knights, several old Imperial officers, and two Stormtrooper platoon leaders were all slumped over their plates. The server droid was standing beside the alarm, looking more alarmed than C3PO used to over Ben’s youthful, destructive outbursts.

He felt a constriction around his throat, a panic. He was alone. Again. This was his fault. He’d finally gathered his Knights to him, and now he’d killed them. Rey had left -

 _“Ben -”_ Rey’s voice intruded on his horror again. She wasn’t going to go away. But the red haze obscuring his vision receded just a bit when he heard her voice in his head. Maybe he wasn’t so alone after all. 

“ _I can’t right now_.”

“ _Tell me what happened, Ben._ ” She insisted.

“ _They’re dead, Rey. All my Knights are **dead**._ ” 

She had moved back onto the main street, but stopped in her tracks, causing a small pile-up in the crowd behind her. She ignored the angry snarls, growls, and positively rude comments thrown at her in Galactic Basic as she stood stock-still. “ _What happened?_ ” 

“ _I don’t know yet. But I will_.” He turned his attention to teams arriving dressed in hazard-gas gear and motioned the captain to him. “I want to know what happened here. You are to report to me, and only to me.” He lifted his fingers and tightened them.

The officer nodded frantically as his throat began to close ever-so-slightly.

“Yes, Supreme Leader. Of course, sir, right away.” Kylo dropped his hand and swept out the door, his cloak billowing behind him.

 

**_Tatooine_ **

On the planet’s surface, Rey was moving again, heading to a repair stall with a sign advertising spare parts and batteries for ships and droids. She wasn’t sure which parts she needed for the A-wing, but she had to get C-9 going again if she had any hope of moving along. Ben’s agony reverberated in her head, a constant reminder of his presence that she was coming to accept as a permanent part of her life.

The Force was not going to let this connection go, and if she was being honest, _she_ didn’t want it to let go. She liked knowing she wasn’t alone anymore. When she thought about it, Ben was the only one who’d ever accepted her solely for herself. Even Finn, her very first real friend, had been afraid of her when he’d realized that she had a connection to Kylo Ren. She knew he still loved her, and trusted her. But he’d feared her, and he’d left her.

No, that wasn’t fair. Chewie hadn’t rejected her. But Chewie wasn’t here either.

Ben was. She only had to look up to see the Star Destroyer in orbit.

Its arrival had startled the lethargic residents of Mos Eisley. She could feel the tension rising in the air. No one around her had welcomed the sight of the wedge-shaped ship in the sky. To be fair, she wasn’t altogether certain she welcomed its presence either. Rather, she welcomed one man who happened to be aboard that ship. The rest? No. They could all hang.

Especially that Hux guy. Rose had told her what happened on the Supremacy, how she’d almost taken Hux’s finger off when he was lecturing her about the worthlessness of the Resistance. Rey wished Rose had bitten just a fraction harder.

But then again, Rey liked Rose and didn’t want her to get blood poisoning or something from causing that red-headed menace to bleed.

 _He’s evil._ Ben’s voice echoed in her mind.

_What?_

_He’s evil. Mad. Dangerous. But he’s a coward. All too willing to use others and technology to conduct a reign of terror on any who stand in the way of the First Order._

_Is that why you wouldn’t leave with me?_

There was a definite pause. Rey wondered if he wasn’t going to answer her.

_Partially._

And then he was gone - for the moment. He’d be back.

 

**_Supreme Leader’s Office_ **

**_The Absolution_ **

Kylo Ren paced behind his desk as he awaited the chime to let him know that a subordinate had finally worked up the courage to face him with news of the attack this morning. He stretched out with his feelings - yes, there was one person coming down the corridor, and she should be arriving very soon.

The chime sounded, and Kylo flicked his fingers, opening the door. A young woman, no more than twenty-five standard years stood in the opening. Apparently, the captain of the hazardous materials unit was a coward, but he would deal with him later. He faced the window, but in his reflection, he could see her swallow nervously as she gathered her nerves to enter his domain.

“Well?” he asked.

“Sir,” he heard her swallowing again as she prepared to deliver the bad news, “there appears to have been a breach in security.”

“You don’t say.”

“Uhhh -”

“Spit it out.”

“There was a breach, and somehow poison gas was released into the Officers’ Dining Hall this morning at 0700, just at the start of the first meal.” Her voice grew stronger, more confident as she recited the bare facts for him. “Fatalities were instant. No survivors. The gas was developed by the First Order for use as a last resort on uncooperative planets that the Order would like to remain viable.”

“We -” he paused to absorb the unexpected information “- developed this gas?”

“Uh -” she paused. “Yes, sir. We did.” 

“Who did this?” His voice quiet and lethal.

“At present, we have no suspects.”

“No suspects?” 

“None, sir,” she confirmed and then jumped at the hissing and zapping of the red lightsaber as Kylo swung around and bifurcated his desk. 

“Sergeant, you are to report back to me within three standard hours with preferably more information that you have now. I will know who did this.” He retracted the blade and stowed it on his belt. As he stalked to the door, he paused beside her. “Do not fail me.”

 

**_On the outskirts of Mos Eisley (not far from a raucous cantina)_ **

**_Tatooine_ **

On the planet’s surface, Rey felt Kylo’s rage and resolution as she poked through the spare parts and batteries available at the junk dealer’s shop. The proprietor, a Toydarian, a creature she’d never seen before, hovered close to her, propelled by rapidly fluttering wings. He’d identified himself as Wattosin. So far, she hadn’t found what she needed to get C9 moving again.

Giving up on finding anything of use in the used parts bin, she asked, “I need a full battery pack for an R2 unit - at least thirty years old. Do you have that?”

“Ehhh, for a price I might have what you need.” 

Rey’s eyes narrowed. She knew that lecherous tone, and she wasn’t having any of it. “Bring the battery pack to me, and give me a fair price for it.” He stood no chance against the compulsion in her words.

“I don’t have that.”

Damn. That wasn’t what she wanted to hear. “Where can I find it?”

“You could track down the Jawas; they might be able to help, but it’s a long shot.”

“What about in Mos Espa?”

Wattosin was visibly resisting her coercion. She asked again with a stronger push. “What about in Mos Espa or Freetown?”

He relaxed at the renewed compulsion. “Mos Eisley is the only place you’d find anything. But with an older R2 unit, the likelihood you’ll find the right batteries is next to none. You’d do better to convert him to solar power.”

“Do you have one of those kits?”

“No. But the shop at the center of town does.”

“Thank you, Wattosin.” Rey turned and left. She would have given him a few credits for his time, but his earlier attempt to take advantage of her had struck a nerve. All those years on Jakku being ogled by Unkar had left a mark. She would never be treated that way again, not if she could possibly help it.

 

**_Supreme Leader’s Quarters_ **

**_The Absolution_ **

**_Stationary Orbit - Tatooine_ **

Ben forced himself to sit down, cross-legged, and to center his mind. His grandfather had been completely quiet since his disturbing dream, or whatever it was. Even if no one appeared to guide him, he knew he needed to focus himself if he ever wanted answers. So, reluctantly, he began the breathing exercises he remembered from his time as a padawan learner with Luke a decade ago. The habit was rusty, but familiar, and he felt his feelings center.

Why had he ceased to meditate?

The twisted, torn visage of Snoke flitted across his mind.

 _Ah, yes. That’s why._ That predator was why.

How much had Snoke lied about? Ben reached out with his feelings. There it was - the Force. The dark, the light, forever in a complicated dance to maintain balance. He could see it now. He remembered the battle on Starkiller, the back and forth. He reached out for _her._ And he saw her, striding down a street, dust flying with each step.

She was beautiful. Did she even know? She didn’t have the grace of his mother, but she had Leia’s will and determination. Rey wasn’t elegant. Her movements were economical, practical. She wasted no time with the trappings of diplomacy. If the Resistance had entertained thought of using her as a diplomat, they were sorely mistaken. It was not her calling.

He breathed out, reaching out again. Luke! White-hot rage threatened to tear him out of his meditative state.

“Let it go.” Anakin Skywalker walked into his mindscape. “Luke’s a part of the Force now. He paid for what he did to you with his life. Let it go.”

“Grandfather?”

A small smile cracked Anakin’s face. “In a way. You still don’t understand. But you will.”

“I’ve lost them all.”

“You have what you need.”

“I must find who did this.”

Anakin waved his hand. “That’s a concern of your world. The Force is so much bigger." 

“My Knights are _dead_!” 

“They’re one with the Force. They’ll help to guide you now.”

“Someone must pay!” Ben felt that hard-won calm slipping away from him.

“Find the one who completes you.” Anakin started to fade from view.

Ben reached out - “Grandfather, wait!” But it was too late, Anakin was gone.

Ben’s eyes snapped open; he had to find the one who completed him. Rey. He had to find Rey.

But what about the Knights? Vengeance? He could not allow this attack to stand, unresponded to. He had to set an example. No one would be allowed to come into the heart of the First Order and take down his most trusted guard.

 _“Think, Ben. Who has the most to gain from you being distracted and angry?”_ Rey’s voice echoed in his head.

 _“The Resistance, obviously.”_  

_“No.”_

_“What do you mean, no? They are the ones with the most to gain.”_

_“Yes, I mean no. They would benefit, yes. But they don’t have the resources to pull this off.”_  

_“Are you sure?”_

Rey sighed as she made her way around a large litter carrying a fully-grown Hutt. She winced at the sand grinding in the undergreased wheels. “ _Yes, I’m sure. I think you need to look closer to home._ ” 

It only took Ben a moment to hear what his instincts were telling him. “ _Hux. It has to be Hux. He’s always wanted to be Supreme Leader, and he’ll do anything to get it.”_

_“So, arrest him.”_

Like clouds parting, Ben could see the pattern - all of it. Ben cursed quietly. “ _I can’t. He’s gone. And besides that, I’ve got no proof he did it. At least, not yet.”_  

 _“What? Why did you let him go?”_ Rey stopped in front of a slightly-less-shabby storefront. It advertised spare parts, and it had to be the store Wattosin had recommended. “ _Where is he?”_

 _“There’s a rebellion brewing on Ord - never mind. He’s taken the Resolution.”_ He sighed. _“It seemed like the thing to do at the time.”_ He was going to pay for underestimating Hux and he could only hope that too many innocents didn’t suffer the price as well.

 

**_Mos Eisley_ **

**_Tatooine_ **

“Can I help you?” A startlingly clean male humanoid appeared at Rey’s elbow as soon as she entered the shop. He had dark skin and close-cropped hair like Finn and wore the loose, breathable robes so popular in desert climes. Dust seemed to cover everything on this cursed planet, and seeing anyone or anything devoid of the fine coating was truly surprising. There was something about this man that was familiar - his eyes were kind, but sad as if some great tragedy had befallen him at some point, and thankfully they lacked lecherous gleam with which Rey was so familiar. He felt - safe.

“I’ve been told you have solar power converters for R2 droids.”

Within minutes, Rey was her way back to the A-wing. Her purse was appreciably lighter, but it felt like she’d made the right choice. C9 needed to be running, and with a bit of time in the hot twin sons of Tatooine, he’d be fully charged and ready to help within a standard day. Ben was still aboard the looming Star Destroyer, and she had yet to see any troop transports or shuttles depart the larger vessel for the surface. Maybe she’d be able to leave without seeing Ben again.

 _“Don’t count on it.”_ Ben’s sardonic tone filled her brain. 

A fleeting smile crossed her lips. “ _We’ll see._ ” She picked up her pace to get back to the public spaceport. She had a droid and ship to repair.

 

**_Supreme Leader’s Office (sans remains of the desk)_ **

**_The Absolution_ **

Sergeant Charity Sol stopped at the beginning of the corridor leading to the Supreme Leader’s office and tried to gather her thoughts and her courage. Her Captain had been all too eager to send her into the lion’s den once again, the coward. Squaring her shoulders, she marched down the corridor to meet her fate. 

The black-clad terror was waiting beside his chair, hand clenched on the back of it, and listened to her update on the investigation. After her admittedly short report, he spoke, voice distorted by a modulator on his mask. 

“To be clear, the only evidence you have at the moment is a recovered holovid of a stormtrooper apparently performing routine maintenance on the climate control unit?”

She nodded.

“And this stormtrooper was in Executioner gear so his or her suit emitted no identifying marks?” He didn’t bother to wait for confirmation before continuing. “So, we have no more information than we did three hours ago.”

“We now know that the attack was very sophisticated and targeted.” She offered. “They managed to almost destroy all video evidence and conceal their identities. And they had the toxin, but none is missing from the stores in the lab.” Behind her back she clenched her hands together so tightly that she almost fractured a finger. Better that, she thought, than to give in to the hysteria lurking in her brain. She did not want to die today. “We could bring in all stormtroopers on executioner duty for the past week for examination.”

“Sergeant Sol, do you really believe that a _stormtrooper_ was behind this attack?” Kylo Ren’s voice dropped even lower behind the voice modulator.

She blanched and twisted her fingers even more violently. “No, sir. No, I don’t.” Charity really hoped she was not going to suffer for her honesty. But she couldn’t lie. There was no reason or, more importantly, no opportunity for a stormtrooper to have obtained a dose of the highly toxic airborne poison that had killed eight officers and the mysterious Knights of Ren that morning.

“Tell me. Who do you think did this?”

“I - I don’t know.” Charity stammered.

The expressionless mask of Kylo Ren tilted as the man, or monster, considered her. “You didn’t answer my question, Sergeant. Who do you _think_ did this?”

She fastened her eyes beyond his shoulder and studied the desert planet below and came to a decision. If she was going to die today, she’d at least go with a clean conscience after having told the truth. “Sir, it had to have been someone higher, much higher, on the chain of command. He or she must have had the toxin for some time for it to not be recorded in the laboratory stores.”

“How long?”

“Since development, sir.”

“When, exactly, was that?”

“Seven years.” Charity’s right eyelid twitched.   

“You’re afraid of me. That’s good. It means you aren’t stupid.” Supreme Leader Ren turned around and stalked to the window. “You can stop mutilating your hands now. Congratulations, Lieutenant, you’ve just been promoted. Your new duty post is my personal aide. Tell the flight line to prepare my shuttle. I have duties to attend on the surface.” 

Charity’s eyes widened. Ben felt her mix of elation and terror and smirked behind the expressionless mask. “Please send Captain Peavy to me immediately and then meet me in the main hangar bay in one standard hour.” He waved his hand to open the door. “Oh, and get me a new desk. You’re dismissed.”

 

**_Mos Eisley_ **

**_Tatooine_ **

Traffic on the streets stalled as the troop transport and a smaller batwing shuttle departed the main hangar bay of the Absolution. For just a moment, life paused, but actions quickly took on greater urgency and the slow-moving inhabitants picked up their paces. Smugglers and others who lived on the edges of the law sped up their preparations to leave the planet. Even the Hutts retreated to their palaces posthaste. Among the few ships headed in for a landing was a battered YT-Corellian freighter. But Rey didn’t see any of that. In her hangar bay, she felt Ben approaching, but continued working steadily on C9. He had been right - she wasn’t going to be able to avoid him.

But surely that wave of excitement at the thought of seeing him in person meant nothing.

It was just a product of the Force bond.

She hoped.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta Love: ISeeAnIsland and Ianthe

**_A Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy_ **

**_Mos Eisley Spaceport_ **

**_Tatooine_ **

Ben sat motionless, waiting on the shuttle to finish final landing procedures. His new aide de camp looked slightly green at the mild turbulence they’d experienced on the final approach. She was a true spacer - her pallid skin gave away her lack of time outdoors. Given her apparent age, she was one of the child recruits of the First Order, so she’d never called any planet home, not really. Space and military spaceships were her home. Rey was different - she embodied life. Her skin glowed with good health, muscles toned from constant exercise. A bit too thin as a result of poor rations. But she was clearly at home in a cockpit and on planet. Ben had been that way once, and when he was being honest with himself, he missed living on a planet with seasons, rain, wind and greenery. Rey had never had that - her planet was a desert, and it was a harsh existence, one no child should have to suffer. 

Perhaps a visit to Jakku was in order. There were people on that planet who needed to answer for their neglect of the young Rey. 

But first - he needed to see her, to ask one more time for her help. Anakin had told him to find his other half, and he knew exactly who that was. Who was he kidding? He’d ask, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. If he had to kidnap her again -

_ “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”  _

_ “You can run, but you can’t hide.” _

_ “I’m not hiding. I’m in docking bay fourteen.”  _

The shuttle touched down with a gentle bump, and the back hatch opened with a hiss. 

“Lieutenant, you’re with me.” He stood and strode down the ramp onto the dusty surface of Tatooine. The platoon leader of the detachment of stormtroopers met him at the foot of the ramp. 

“Sir, we have swept the area. There appears to be no immediate threat.” 

Ben reached out with his feelings, instantly recognizing Rey close by. There were no other bright lights in the Force within range. But there was a familiar presence further way. No matter. He’d deal with that threat if it materialized. 

“Leave a six-man squad with the shuttle. It takes off only on my authority. The rest of you - follow me.” He strode through the space dock onto the streets of Mos Eisley. They were sparsely populated. Unfalteringly, he took a left and followed the path - Rey’s Force signature was unmoving. Without even consulting the numbers, he knew when he arrived at her dock. He glanced up. Number 27. The little liar. He felt her amusement tickling through their bond.

“Surround this port. Do not let anyone leave. But under no circumstances is anyone exiting this port to be harmed. Set your weapons to stun.” He looked at each of the troopers in turn. “Are we clear?” 

The blank masks nodded. “Yes, sir.” 

Signaling Lieutenant Sol to follow him, he strode into the open area housing a small, battered A-wing fighter. He could see her legs on the other side as she rummaged through a cargo hold. 

Ben spoke first. “You said 14.” 

“So I did. Call it a test.” 

“Are you coming with me quietly?” 

Rey’s head popped up and she observed him in his mask for the first time since Starkiller. “I  _ really _ hate that mask.” 

* * *

 

At the door, slightly behind and to the left of the Supreme Leader, Charity’s mind boggled at Rey’s audacity, but she managed to keep her face impassive. 

“Regardless, Rey of Jakku, you need to come with me.” 

Charity’s clenched her jaw. It was that or have it drop open in total shock.  _ This _ was Rey of Jakku? The criminal that had murdered the first Supreme Leader and taken on all the Praetorian Guards? She was tiny, likely underfed, but wiry. She watched as Rey circled the A-wing to approach them. Charity’s jaw snapped closed as she struggled to regain her equilibrium. 

“Who is this?” 

Charity started, realizing that Rey was referring to her.  What was that emotion in her voice? Anger? No. No, that was jealousy.  Surely she didn’t think that Kylo Ren was interested in her, an unimportant cog in the wheels of the First Order? And why would Rey care? Regardless, this scavenger was clearly unintimidated by the Supreme Leader as she stopped within arm’s reach of him.

“Lieutenant Sol is my assistant.” Kylo Ren’s gloved hand came up and stroked down Rey’s cheek softly. “You have nothing to worry about, Rey. She’s no threat to you.” His voice was soft through the voice modulator. 

“I’m  _ not _ jealous!” 

“I didn’t say you were.” 

“Well, I’m certainly not afraid of a First Order lackey, Ben.” 

Ben? His name was Kylo Ren. Charity felt like the world had spun on its axis. How could this scavenger be so  _ casual _ with the Supreme Leader? Did she not realize what he was capable of? 

“You shouldn’t be. You know I’ll destroy worlds before I harm a hair on your head, and I will regret  _ nothing _ .” 

With that softly spoken statement, Charity gave up the fight to remain impassive. She watched the interchange with mouth agape. When he’d said he had business on the surface, this was not what she had expected. The Supreme Leader appeared to be  _ romantically _ involved with the woman responsible for the death of Snoke. And then it hit her. The new Supreme Leader had usurped the old. And he’d done it for this little slip of a girl. 

Unbelievable. 

* * *

Ben felt the shock from the woman at his side, but he dismissed it as unimportant. What really mattered was the woman in front of him. The conversation he needed to have with her was urgent but private. How to get her to cooperate? He reached up and pressed the release buttons on either side of this mask. With a hiss, it opened. Without it, the world was clearer, and he met Rey’s gaze unflinchingly. He handed the mask off to the stunned Lieutenant without breaking eye contact with Rey. Deliberately, he pulled at the fingers of his gloves to take them off,  leaving his hands bare. 

  
“Come with me. Join me.” He held out his hand. “Please.” 

Rey’s eyes dropped to his naked hand and she stared for a moment. Then, she looked back up at him and blinked. 

“Please.” He stretched his hand out slightly further. 

Her lips trembled, and she wordlessly stretched her hand out to meet his. When their fingers touched, she gasped softly. Finally. This was how it was supposed to be. They were supposed to be together. 

Ben did not dare believe that she had done it. He curled his fingers, drawing her ever so slightly closer to him. “Thank you.” 

Rey thought for a moment that Ben was going to draw her hand to his lips to kiss the back of her hand, but instead, he pulled her closer and tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow and covered it with his opposite hand. “Let’s go.” 

“Wait!” 

“Rey, we have to go.” 

“No, you don’t understand. I can’t just leave.” 

“We have to go,” he insisted.

  
Rey looked shot the silent Lieutenant a glance. “There are  _ things _ I need.” 

“What could you possibly -” He stopped and released her.  The Force was pushing at him, telling him that urgency was paramount. But if Rey said that she needed something, there was no doubt that she did. “Go. Get it. Quickly.” She ran to her ship to retrieve whatever was so important. No sooner had she leaned over to rummage through the cargo hold than a sonic boom echoed through the sky. “Damn.” Ben held his hand out to Sol, and she wordlessly handed him his helmet which he slammed on his head. When he looked up the read-out indicated that his concerns were warranted. 

The Resolution, and Hux, had arrived. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed the chapter, please let me know! See you next time!


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